OK, I need some help!
There is something wrong with my puffer fish. He has been laying on a rock for the past three days.
Today I noticed a lump on his left side. Pic attached.
More details:
Tuesday-Did routine water change. Noticed my salt was maybe a bit 'old'? it wasn't dissolving well. All tank inhabitants appear all ok at this stage. Just did routine W/c
Came home later that day to puffer on the rock! Not moving a lot. Seems to be panting.
Assumed he would die overnight-He didn't.
Wednesday, saw puffer was still alive, so bought some fresh salt and did a W/C just in case the old salt was the problem.
Noticed my other fish- a bicolour Blenny dead- and half eaten.
Saw a large snail was dead-took that out. Has possibly been dead a while!
Thought puffer might die that night but he didn't.
Thursday-Today. Puffer is still alive. Now I see a lump on his left hand side.
Water parameters- Ammonia-0 Nitrite-0 Salinity 1.025 Temp- 24 celcius
Tank size 50L i think? It only 19inch x 13in x 13 in
Inhabitants- Bicolour Blenny,(Dead) Valentino Puffer, 1xPeppermint shrimp, 2x Red clawed shrimp, 1 crab(came with the rock) 1 crocus? Snail (dead)
Feeding : New Life Spectrum Marine Formula. Few pellets every 2nd day. A treat of frozen brine shrimp once a week.
W/C- Once every 2-3 weeks.
No changes to the tank in the past week. This all seemingly started with the Tuesday W/C
Aquarium has been set up for over a year. Cycled with Live rock.
OK thats as much info as I can think of. I hope its enough for you guys to help me save him!!!!
Sick Valentino Puffer
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Sick Valentino Puffer
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Pufferpunk
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Re: Sick Valentino Puffer
What are you measuring the SG with? Has it been calibrated recently? Unless you are keeping corals, 1.020 is fine for any fish. How long are you mixing the salt before you add it to the tank? What are you using to mix it?
how are his teeth?
Your puffer eats crustaceans. Feeding mostly pellets (brine shrimp is worthless), is not a healthy diet for a puffer.
how are his teeth?
Your puffer eats crustaceans. Feeding mostly pellets (brine shrimp is worthless), is not a healthy diet for a puffer.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Sick Valentino Puffer
Sorry, what is SG?
Is that salinity? I'm reading that with a floating salinity+Temp gauge.
No corals.
I mix up my water+ salt in a bucket. Mix it all up then measure salinity. Once its reading ok and I don't feel that 'saltiness' at the bottom, then I add it so the back section of my tank, so it goes through the filter before it goes in the tank.
He has managed to eat most of the smaller snails in the tank! The big one I suspect he took a peck at, which is why it died?
ok, his teeth look slightly strange to me at the moment. Usually his mouth is closed. His mouth is open, so his teeth are protruding past his 'lips' Is that a teeth abnormality, or just because he is panting?
What would you suggest I get for him to eat?
Thank you for helping Pufferpunk!
Is that salinity? I'm reading that with a floating salinity+Temp gauge.
No corals.
I mix up my water+ salt in a bucket. Mix it all up then measure salinity. Once its reading ok and I don't feel that 'saltiness' at the bottom, then I add it so the back section of my tank, so it goes through the filter before it goes in the tank.
He has managed to eat most of the smaller snails in the tank! The big one I suspect he took a peck at, which is why it died?
ok, his teeth look slightly strange to me at the moment. Usually his mouth is closed. His mouth is open, so his teeth are protruding past his 'lips' Is that a teeth abnormality, or just because he is panting?
What would you suggest I get for him to eat?
Thank you for helping Pufferpunk!
Re: Sick Valentino Puffer
----New photo. Showing teeth.
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purplecandle
- Mbu Puffer
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2 Adult Green Spotted Puffers
1 Fangs Puffer
1 Baby Green Spotted Puffer - Location (country): USA (NC)
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Pufferpunk
- Queen Admin
- Posts: 32776
- Joined: Tue May 31, 2005 11:06 am
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Filbert, the 12" T lineatus
Punkster, the 4" red T miurus
Mongo, the 4" A modestus
2 T biocellatus
C valentini
C coranata
C papuan
Also kept:
lorteti
DPs
suvattii
burrfish
T niphobles - Location (country): USA, Greenville, SC
- Location: Chicago
- Contact:
Re: Sick Valentino Puffer
library/category/feeding/
The pics keep showing your Valentini puffer's mouth slight open in all of them, which shows his teeth may be so long, he can't close it properly. library/hospital/dentistry/
SG = specific gravity, the measurement of salt in your water. Salt MUST be mixed thoroughly with a powerhead, overnight. I highly suggest getting a refractometer (around $25 on Ebay) & calibration solution for it.
The pics keep showing your Valentini puffer's mouth slight open in all of them, which shows his teeth may be so long, he can't close it properly. library/hospital/dentistry/
SG = specific gravity, the measurement of salt in your water. Salt MUST be mixed thoroughly with a powerhead, overnight. I highly suggest getting a refractometer (around $25 on Ebay) & calibration solution for it.
You are getting sleepy... you only hear the sound of my voice... you must do water changes... water changes... water changes... water changes...
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
"The solution to pollution is dilution!"
Re: Sick Valentino Puffer
Ok, thanks for the advice. I will get some cloves and nail clippers. I just have another pic.... He was swimming around in the evening yesterday. Not interested in food, so its been a few days without food now, so thats another issue.
But see how funny his stomach looks. Its very lumpy...
But see how funny his stomach looks. Its very lumpy...
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